Photo: Photoglob Co., publisher. · Public domain · via Library of Congress via Wikimedia Commons
City hall · Vienna, Austria
Vienna City Hall (Rathaus)
- Dated
- Dated 1872–83
- Declared purpose
- Seat of city government
- Today
- Survives, still the city hall
- Architect of record
- Friedrich von Schmidt, architect: about 44 when credited (1869, born 1825). Build time on record: about 11 years (1872–83).All architects of record →
Hidden history
Found, Not Built
A Gothic city hall on the Ringstrasse, begun the year before the 1873 fair. What the photos show is a tower and arcades that look medieval.
The Ringstrasse
Vienna's old walls were removed and a ring of grand buildings rose in a few decades.
Ten years
The record gives about ten years for the Rathaus, credited to Friedrich von Schmidt.
Next to the fair
It went up while the 1873 fair's Rotunde rose in the Prater.
Questions worth asking
- What was found when the walls and glacis were cleared?
- How did one city finish so many palaces at once?
Possible original uses
- A town hall and guild house
- A ceremonial palace
What the photos show
Surrounding Buildings
Old buildings nearby in Vienna. Compare the stone, the domes and the dates.
Lost Buildings
Neighbours that were torn down or burned. Tap one for its photos.
Further viewing
Episodes from My Lunch Break (Michael Kruse), the main lens for this app. They open on YouTube.
